Automated deployment of cloud-hosted, distributed network monitoring agents

Abstract

A system and method is provided for deploying a network monitoring agent to monitor a network. The method includes receiving a deployment request to deploy a monitoring agent, the monitoring agent including first executable instructions to monitor the network, the request specifying a region external from the network in which to deploy the monitoring agent. The method further includes installing the monitoring agent for execution within a controlled runtime environment on a host machine, the host machine operating in the specified region and having a single operating system. The monitoring agent is executed within the controlled runtime environment to monitor the network from an external perspective of the network. In the controlled runtime environment, during execution of the monitoring agent, all areas of the operating system that are writable by the monitoring agent are isolated from areas of the operating system that are writable by any other software application using the operating system.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for deploying a network monitoring agent to monitor a network, the system comprising:
 at least one first processing device configured to:
 receive a deployment request to deploy a monitoring agent on a host in a requested deployment region external from the network in which to deploy the monitoring agent, the monitoring agent including first executable instructions to monitor the network; 
 query a database for a plurality of hosts provided in the requested deployment region to determine a host machine to receive the monitoring agent in the requested deployment region based upon the determined host having the greatest amount of available computing resources relative to other host machines in the requested deployment region; and 
 install a container having a controlled runtime environment on the determined host machine; 
 install the monitoring agent for execution within the container on the determined host machine wherein the at least one first processing device is further configured to install the container on the determined host machine and install the monitoring agent to execute in the container, the determined host machine having second executable instructions, including a single operating system, executed by a second processing device, wherein the second processing device executes the monitoring agent within the controlled runtime environment to monitor the network from an external perspective of the network, wherein in the controlled runtime environment, during execution of the monitoring agent, all areas of the operating system that are writable by the monitoring agent are isolated from areas of the operating system that are writable by any other software application being executed by the second processing device using the operating system, wherein isolation is provided between the monitoring agent and software applications providing exclusive use of host resources whereby the isolated monitoring agent does not share resources with software applications executing on the host. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein in the controlled runtime environment, an area of the operating system that is read-only is shared with one of the other software applications. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one first processing device is configured to select the host machine from a plurality of host machines available in the specified region based on availability of resources on the respective plurality of host machines. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one first processing device is further configured to receive updates from the plurality of host machines regarding availability of resources on the respective host machines. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one first processing device is further configured to install and execute an unmodified copy of the monitoring agent for execution by a third processing device of a second host machine in a controlled runtime environment to monitor at least one of the network or a different network. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the container is a cloud-based container. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the container operates in a virtual environment. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the host machine operates in a virtual environment.